FAQ

 What is a Flow Trail?  Google "mtb flow trail" and you'll get the picture!  Basically a flow trail is a single-track downhill trail with large banked turns and modest berms that allow for some limited jumps.  A flow trail zig-zags down the hill and thus maximizes the use of a limited land space by utilizing the natural contours of a hill to maintain a bike's speed with little if any pedaling. Bike speed can vary but most riders would rarely exceed 10 mph.

Who is behind this effort?  The effort is lead by a leadership team consisting of local mtb enthusiasts who have worked on improving trail access in the Bay Area for years.   

What is the history of this project?  

  1. We proposed the idea to EBRPD in December 2020.  
  2. EBRPD had several departments do a preliminary look at our proposed site.  As a result they moved the trail about 1/2 mile further north to avoid an environmentally sensitive area.  
  3. EBRPD hired Nomad Ecology in early 2022 to do a preliminary survey of the site to identify possible impacts on the local wildlife and biota.  The study found no major show-stoppers and is found here.  
  4. In 2023 EBRPD contracted an expert trail builder to do a preliminary design of the trail.  A poster summarizing their design is here. Basically the trail would be about 2 miles long and drop about 700 feet.  This is about 3 times longer and higher than the well-known Endor flow trail at Tamarancho. 
  5. In 2024 EBRPD funded a Phase 1 CEQA study to review all aspects of the trail including impacts on the environment, other users, etc., and determine if deeper study was needed on any of these aspects.  That study is in final internal review by EBRPD and should be issued later this summer.  

EBRPD maintains a web site about the project here.  

Would the flow trail adversely impact the local environment including tarplants and whip snakes?  It is important to note that the flow trail would run adjacent to the Mezue trail, a ranch road which has been in existence for decades.  According to the Nomad Ecology report (here),  the area is characterized by grassland that has been heavily grazed for decades and is composed largely of non-native grasses. While the area is the potential home for several special status species such as the whipsnake and tarplant none of these species have been observed near the proposed site.  Furthermore the trail is surrounded by thousands of acres of similar habitat so clearly the population of these special species is not being constrained by limitations on available habitat.  

Who would build and maintain the flow trail?  Because the proposed trail would be on EBRPD land, construction and maintenance would be controlled by the EBRPD. We hope that EBRPD would allow the public to help build and maintain the trail under EBRPD oversight much as is done with the trails at Crockett Hills Regional Park.

How can I support this effort?  Sign the petition and get your friends to sign it!  The broader the support we can show for the trail the better the chances the EBRPD will approve it. As things proceed, we'll let you know if we need your voice of support in other ways.  Once EBRPD is proceeding towards construction we will mount a fund-raising campaign to supplement funding we have obtained from an anonymous private donor.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

EBRPD announces major steps forward

In October, EBRPD completed contracting with a private consultant to develop a preliminary design of the flow trail.  Work should be completed early in 2024.   In another major step forward, the  EBRPD Board of Directors in December followed the recommendation of staff and approved $300 k to fund the CEQA for the Wildcat Flow Trail.  This is the next step in the normal progression of any significant project and represents a major commitment by EBRPD.  Part of the CEQA process consists of public hearings.  The first such meeting will focus on gathering public input on the preliminary design resulting from the study mentioned in the first paragraph.   In short, we are making slow but steady progress!
Read more

Lots of progress over past 6 months

Image
In March, Park District staff gave an update to the Board on the “WIldcat Regional Park Bike Trail Project”.  In the meeting materials here and video here (starting timestamp 1:42) staff showed the identified trail corridor, which provides access for local youth mountain biking programs with minimal impact to sensitive plant and animal communities.  Importantly, Brian Holt, Chief of Trails, Planning, and GIS, stated that there are no internal planning hurdles since the Wildcat Canyon Regional Park Land Use Plan specifically identifies mountain biking as an appropriate use. Also in March,a preliminary design of the Wildcat flow trail (WFT) was completed by Pointe Strategies (a Colorado firm specializing in design of mountain bike trails).  The trail, shown in the map below, is about 2 miles long and drops 700 feet (both the distance and the drop are roughly 3x that of  the Endor Flow at Tamarancho).   The flowy part of the trail is broken into three sections su...
Read more

Good news on multiple fronts

 WFT is making major strides forward.  EBRPD has initiated a study to develop a preliminary design for the flow trail which should be completed in time for the 2nd public meeting to discuss the WFT which will happen in the early fall.   In other positive news, the EBRPD Board held an annual workshop on July 21 in which each Board member listed their top priorities for the EBRPD to pursue in the coming year.  Both Colin Coffey and Elizabeth Echols voiced strong support to continue the WFT studies.  Coffey even went so far as to state that he would like to see  5 more MTB-focused trails added to the parks in the next 5 years.  
Read more